


How Do I Tell Her?

by orphan_account



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24571021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chloe convinces Beca to buy a house for Chloe to flip.I do not own Pitch Perfect or any of the characters.All mistakes are mine (=
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 12
Kudos: 81





	How Do I Tell Her?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DoesEulerDreamofComplexSheep](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoesEulerDreamofComplexSheep/gifts).



> This story is a thank you to @eulersfeverdream on tumblr read more about it on tumblr @ppfandomdrive I feel honored to help in this small way. Full prompt at the end.

Chloe laid staring at the ceiling trying not to move as she listened to Beca breathe. How did things get so out of hand? How was she going to explain herself?

— eight months ago —

“Why do we need another house, Chlo? Ours is perfectly fine!” Beca rolled her eyes as Chloe pulled up in front of the property.

“This is a Craftsman, Becs! People ordered the plans and the materials out of a catalog, then put it together like you would a bookcase from Ikea.” Chloe was practically bouncing in her seat.

Beca tossed her a look, then turned her attention to the house before her. It looked like the grass hadn’t been cut in years. The long front porch was peeling paint, and Beca was afraid the wood around the pane glass window was rotting. “I hope they did a better job of following directions than I did.” She tried to joke, but realized she was dampening Chloe’s enthusiasm. “Ok, so it’s historic. It’s gonna be a lot of work, Chlo!”

“Work I can hire people to help me with. I can hire workmen to do the heavy stuff like replastering and refurbishing the floors. We can update the bathroom and the heating system, too. We just have to keep the original structure intact, and keep it painted one of the original colors.”

Beca sighed and got out of the car. She walked up the few steps to the porch, ducking as a bird dive bombed her. “Hey!”

“I’ll make sure they clean out the nests, too,” Chloe said as she chewed her lip.

“So why are you wanting to do this?” Beca asked again.

Chloe smiled her brightest. “It gives me something to do while you are at the studio. You don’t go on tour till sometime next year. I will be so bored!”

Beca nodded, “I get that, but we can’t live in two houses, Chloe. No matter what you do to this one, I don’t see myself living here.” She gestured around, “zero property lines, no security.”

“I’m gonna flip it.” Chloe beamed. “People pay lots more for these houses once they are fixed up. We will get back every dime and and maybe even a profit.”

Beca could feel her resolve waver. She was never good at saying no to Chloe. “All right, just promise me I won’t have to live here?”

“I promise.”

— 7 months ago —

Chloe woke up to a fabulous smell and an empty bed. She smiled as she knew that meant Beca was making breakfast. Chloe rolled out of bed, pulled on a tank and some shorts and padded her way past the three other bedrooms and bathroom on her way to the stairs. She turned right at the bottom, avoiding the studio, another bathroom and the living room before ducking behind the wrap around fireplace and cutting through the dining room to the kitchen. She paused when she reached the half wall that served as a breakfast bar and sat down at one of the stools to watch Beca make magic.

Beca had three burners going. On the left front burner, she was flipping over a piece of French toast. On the back burner, she stirred hash browns and on the front right burner she had a pan tilted half on the flame and half on the stove top. Chloe watched in fascination as she cracked open an egg, poured it carefully into the pan and then spooned some liquid pooled in the lower half of the pan over the top.

“Whatcha doing?”

Beca glanced quickly over her shoulder and tossed Chloe a smile.“I just finished the bacon and thought the hot fat would add flavor to the eggs. Spooning it over cooks them to medium without having to flip. You wanna pour the coffee?”

Chloe nodded happily and slipped off her stool. She crossed into the kitchen, grabbed two mugs and poured out the liquid of life. After adding cream to her own, she left Beca’s black and brought them back to the counter. By that time, Beca had plated all of the food and settled beside her to eat. “You really amaze me with how well you cook!”

Beca shrugged, “mom wasn’t big on cooking. If I left it to her, we would have lived on peanut butter and frozen finger food. A friend’s mom made this breakfast before a holiday concert one day and I was hooked on home made food. She taught me a lot.”

“You said you didn’t have a lot of friends that were girls.” Chloe teased.

“I never said my friend was a girl,” Beca laughed. “What do you think of the eggs?”

Chloe took a bite and her eyes widened with delight, “these are wonderful! Why didn’t you make these before?”

Beca laughed, “have to be able to trust the burners otherwise the bacon fat burns. I finally got a feel for this stove.”

“Mmmmm,” Chloe smiled happily as she worked her way through the meal, “lots of work at the studio today?”

“Yeah,” Beca rolled her eyes. “We are having trouble getting rights to a song I wanted to use, so I have to start over.”

Chloe groaned in sympathy. “So a big breakfast?”

“Is to make up for probably skipping lunch. It’s supposed to get hot today, so if you go to the cottage, drink lots of water.” Beca mentioned off hand as she sipped her coffee. “I still hope to be home in time for dinner.”

“Ok, I’ll order in Chinese.” Chloe promised as she wondered if she could learn to cook off of YouTube now that she knew how much Beca loved home cooked meals.

— six months ago —

“Knock knock.” Beca stuck her head in the door. “Chlo? You still here?”

Chloe turned abruptly from the wall she was scraping in the closet of the back bedroom. “Back here!” She called out.

Beca carefully picked her way through stacks of hardwood, piles of debris and gaps in the floor. “Chloe! This looks worse than when we bought it!”

Chloe met her in the hallway between the bathroom and the dining room. “It’s not that bad. Some of the hardwood was rotted, so once they put in the vapor barrier, we had to replace the joists that were bad, and now they are replacing the floorboards. It’s going to look so good!”

Beca smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging way. She followed Chloe into the kitchen where an old stove sat covered in plastic and a refrigerator half the size Beca was used to stood against one wall. Chloe opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water.

“What’s this?” Beca pointed at the kitchen.

“Well, the joists won’t hold a full size fridge because the crawl space is bigger over here. The lot wasn’t level.” Chloe explained as she opened her water and handed one to Beca. “The sink is easy to replace, but the pipes aren’t because they are so small. I am talking to different plumbers to see if I can get the pipes replaced with something more modern.”

“No dishwasher?”

“Well, we can get one that we can roll back and forth, but an under counter dishwasher will need a different pipe system.” Chloe shrugged. “The stove is an O’Keefe and Merritt from 1948. I found a guy who could refurbish it, so it’s just waiting for us to finish the floors in here before we install.”

Beca took a swig from the water bottle. “Well, I hope it turns out someone wants this place after all the work you put in.”

“I’m just getting started!”Chloe grabbed Beca by the hand and dragged her to the front of the house. “In here, we are putting in a door and then will divide this closet in half. Then we can use this room as a sun room if we want.”

“Um, Chloe, don’t you mean we can advertise it as a sun room?”

“Right, isn’t that what I said?” Chloe laughed. “See? We have this little hallway to the bathroom, and then the first bedroom. Someone already modified the house so the master bedroom has taken over the back porch and they left a little mud room back there.”Now standing in the kitchen again, Chloe pointed to the dining room. “I am thinking of putting in a half door here, then French doors to the living room. They can be open to make a great room for entertaining, or closed for a more intimate setting. Look!” Chloe bent down to point at the bottom of the French doors that separated the sun room from the living room. “Do you see how much space is here? The air flow stays constant all year!”

“Won’t that be hard to keep cool?” Beca wondered.

“Nope!” Chloe beamed proudly, “it’s part of the design to keep the place cooler! The air circulates through the entire house all year round, even with the doors closed.”

Beca shook her head. “Whatever you say, Chlo. You about ready to head home?”

Chloe looked at the clock on the fireplace and blinked. It was after 7. “Oh, Becs, I’m so sorry. I totally lost track of time.”

“Go see if you can get the sink to work enough to wipe your face off and I’lltake you to dinner.” Beca tucked a loose hair behind Chloe’s ear.

“I’m not...” Chloe started to protest.

“Nothing fancy, maybe just the diner.” Beca smiled indulgently.

Chloe grinned and nodded before heading off to clean up.

— five months ago —

“Chloe?” Beca called as she entered the house. When she smelled gas, her voice became louder and higher pitched, “Chloe?”

“Back here, Beca!” Chloe called from the kitchen.

“Jesus Christ, Chloe, what’s going on?” Beca hurried back and saw Chloe with a fireplace lighter in her hand. She snatched it away before Chloe could spark it. “What are you doing?”

Chloe looked ready to cry. “I was going to surprise you. I’ve been watching videos and I was going to cook for you and I can’t get the stove to light and I don’t know what to do!”

Beca turned and opened the window over the sink. “First things first, babe, we gotta air out the place. Turn off that burner!” She turned around again to see it was still open. Chloe complied then looked miserably at Beca. Beca crossed over and put her arms around the distraught woman. “I love my surprise, Chlo. I can’t wait for you to show me what you have learned, but let’s try the stove at our house, ok? I’m afraid your handyman has work to do on this contraption before it is ready for use.”

“Oh, Becs.” Chloe sighed and tears started to trickle down her face. “I just feel like such a failure.”

“Hey now, the stove broke. That’s not your fault!” Beca protested.

“The house is taking too long to flip, it cost more than I expected, the stove doesn’t work, I can’t even cook as well as you do.” Chloe buried her head into Beca’s shoulder.

Beca stroked the red hair and held Chloe while the air cleared. “Everything feels worse when you are dying of natural gas inhalation, Chlo.”

Chloe laughed in spite of herself. “I am not dying of natural gas inhalation.”

“You never know.” Beca put the lighter down. “Come on, let’s go have a greasy cheeseburger, some French fries and a shake. You can cook for me at our place tomorrow. I’ll even come by here and pick up whatever you had bought.”

“Promise?” Chloe brightened.

“Promise.” Beca smiled, “I’ll pick up some Pepcid too, just in case.” She ducked as Chloe chased her from the cottage and out onto the porch. “Hey, lock up. We don’t want someone squatting.”

Chloe hesitated, but then went back in for her purse and keys. “I want seafood.”

“What.” Beca blinked when Chloe made the announcement.

“You were just mean to me. I get to choose dinner tonight. I want seafood.” Chloe stood with her head erect and her arms crossed by the now locked front door.

Beca chuckled, “yes ma’am. Seafood it is.” She never was good at saying no, especially to Chloe.

— four months ago —

“I don’t know how you talked me into this.” Beca grumbled from her spot on the floor.

“Your accountant started to squeak about the costs for the workmen. We can do the painting ourselves, so you graciously offered to help.” Chloe said with a laugh on the word gracious.

“I will have to have a talk with my accountant.” Beca groused.

Chloe climbed down from the step stool she was using to reach the light fixtures she was taping off. “I thought you didn’t mind painting.”

Beca shrugged, “I don’t mind spending time with you. And you want to spend your time here, so I don’t mind painting.”

Chloe sat down on the hardwood beside Beca, “Oh, sweetie, we could have stayed home today!”She reached over and started to take the paint brush out of Beca’s hand.

“Nuh -uh, Beale. We are here now and we are gonna finish what we started.” Beca looked around the enclosed space. “At least we can finish the closet.” She grinned mischievously, “then you can’t say I didn’t help.”

Chloe laughed and looked down at the paint now dotting her fingers. With a playful glint in her eye, she tapped Beca’s nose. “Now you can prove you helped.”

Beca pulled her head back as if that would help her eyes focus on the paint on the tip of her nose. “You didn’t! Oh, you are so in for it now, Beale.”

“Careful! Spill on the floor and we will need to have it refurbished again.” Chloe scooted away. “Remember your accountant!”

Beca sat there for a moment, as if considering. Then she shook most of the paint off of her trimming brush, held it bristles up, and flicked it toward Chloe.

Chloe shrieked as paint splattered the floor, her clothes and her face. “Beca!”

“Totally worth it.” Beca grinned.

— three months ago —

Chloe reached for the front door of the cottage and was startled when it pushed open without the key. She glanced around. No workmen vehicles were in sight. She took a deep breath and gripped her purse tight. It was heavy and she planned to use it as a cudgel if she found someone still inside. She crept into the living room and peered through the French doors to the sun room. When she saw no intruder, she released the breath she held and moved toward the dining room. A quick glance through the hallway door showed the bathroom was also empty. As she proceeded toward the kitchen, she heard a thump and a muffled curse. Her heart started to beat faster and she focused her eyes on the closed door of the mud room. The top of the door was made of glass, but showed no one present. They must be on the floor behind the solid section of the door.

She walked as quietly as she could toward the mud room, then flung the door open as fast as she could, swinging her purse as she did.

“Ow, hey! Leave off!”

“Beca?” Chloe’s eyes widened as she realized she had just brained her girlfriend. “What are you doing here? Where’s your car?”

“The car is in the shop.” Beca was rubbing the top of her shoulder, happy for once that Chloe was a bad aim. “I had them drop me off here so I could surprise you.” She pointed at the faux brick linoleum she was halfway through placing on the floor. “Surprise.”

Chloe looked from Beca to the floor and back again. “I don’t know what to say.”

Beca’s smile faltered, “I thought this was the flooring you chose.”

“Oh, I did!” Chloe dropped her purse and sat down abruptly. “I’m just so surprised you are here and helping!”

“You have been so stressed about the process, I thought I could at least take one item off your plate.” Beca smiled.

Chloe looked over at those deep blue eyes and wondered for the millionth time, how did she get so lucky. She leaned over and kissed Beca. “You are the best.”

“Well, I suck at corners.” Beca laughed and pointed after they finished kissing. “Can you help?”

Chloe laughed and nodded, looking forward to working on her favorite project with her favorite person.

— two months ago —

“Wow, Chloe, this is so not the same place!” Beca climbed the stairs and opened the door that looked heavy but moved with little effort.

Chloe preened. “We substituted modern materials where we could. We have new windows with double panes, but in the same style as the originals. The door is made of polyurethane, but looks like it’s heavy oak.”

“I’m impressed!”

Chloe smiled and led Beca through the empty living room. “We found a ceramic heater to place in the fireplace. It’s just like the ones they originally put in the house, except electric instead of gas.” She shrugged, “it seemed safer. I don’t know it will ever see use, but it resembles the period.”

Beca nodded, “these glass shelves on either side of the fireplace, were they in the original design?”

“I think so. When the workers were doing the windows, one of them accidentally put his foot through some plywood covering this built in shelving unit. Lucky break, because we realized there was a matching unit on the other side. Pictures I found online showed glass shelves so I ordered some.” Chloe looked quite pleased with herself.

“So, what’s left to do?” Beca followed as Chloe headed back toward the kitchen again.

“I’ve ordered the roll away dishwasher. It was going to take too long to tear out all of the plumbing.” Chloe sounded disappointed. “The roof is done, as is the new heating system. As soon as the tub is installed and caulked, all that’s left is a French drain to keep the front yard from flooding, and landscaping.”

Beca put her arms around Chloe’s waist, “I’m really impressed, Chloe. I didn’t think anyone could make that dilapidated old shack I saw six months ago look like a cute cottage.” She leaned forward and kissed Chloe. “You are amazing,” she sang under her breath, “just the way you are.”

Chloe rested her forehead against Beca’s. “There’s not a thing that I would change.” She sang back. They danced in the little dining room to the music they made together.

— present day —

The cottage is ready; it’s been ready for over a month. Every time Beca asks about listing it, Chloe is able to find an excuse to put it off. Now, she is out of excuses. How does she tell Beca she doesn’t want to sell it? It is so full of her, of them. How can she let someone else have it?

“You know, I think this house is too goddamn big.”

Chloe turned her head abruptly toward Beca. “What did you say?”

“This house. It’s too damn big. It’s like living in the Bella house without the Bellas.” Beca turned over onto her side and looked at Chloe. “I mean, we can keep it, maybe rent it as an air bnb. I’m sure we can hire someone to manage it.”

Chloe blinked, “but...”

“We can stay in the cottage.” Beca nodded her head, “it’s perfect for two, well,except you gotta get a real stove.”

“You can’t mean that! Ermengarde is a classic!”

Beca leaned up on an elbow, “you named it Ermangarde?”

Chloe nodded, still looking affronted.

Beca shook her head, “then you are doing all the cooking, Beale.”

Chloe suddenly caught up and realized what Beca was saying. “We can keep the cottage?”

“If you do all of the cooking,” Beca smirked.

“What about zero property lines and no security?” Chloe asked.

Beca shrugged, “everyone over there seems to keep an eye on each other. We can put in an alarm system to keep the label happy.”

Chloe clapped happily and grabbed Beca for a hug.

“So you agree to cook?” Beca giggled from where her face was buried into Chloe’s neck.

“Nope, I will replace the stove.” Chloe giggled back.

Beca lifted her head to look at Chloe, “what are you going to do with Ermengarde?”

“She’ll just have to go into the next house.” Chloe replied, answering Beca’s groan with a kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt: “Chloe decides she wants to buy an investment property to flip, and it's just an utter catastrophe, and when all's said and done chloe falls completely in love with the house, but feels too guilty to admit it to Beca.” Maybe not an utter catastrophe, but reminiscent of a house I used to live in. Thanks so much for the fun idea!


End file.
